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Wednesday, July 11, 2007

The 24 Hour Pharmacist

Of course having a child is wonderful event, but with the births of both of my sons my estrogen levels were really out of whack. From weight gain, to lethargy, to big hair loss beyond what was normal after giving birth to completely unpredictable periods despite being on the Pill, my body has been through a rough year again, as it went through a rough year after my older son's birth. While I'm not there quite yet, I see "normal" up ahead in my near future. With this frame of mind, I was pretty excited to review The 24-Hour Pharmacist by Suzy Cohen for The Parent Bloggers Network.

I must admit before I got it, I thought it was going to be like the book Home Remedies that used to be sold on TV. You know the one where your dog has been sprayed by a skunk and they tell you to wash the dog with tomato soup. This is set up a little differently. It's divided into 5 different parts: Above the Waist, Above the Neck, Below the Waist, Everything in Between and Think Outside the Pill. While there are some quick fixes mentioned like "put[ting]a little pillow beneath the small of your back" (p.101) to prevent snoring, a lot of it involves changing your diet, or taking a supplement. The author also give a bunch of tips throughout the book that are called Suzy's Secrets from Behind the Counter.

So what did I like about this book? I think in order to be able to make the best choices possible with your health (or anything else for that matter) you need to fully understand all your options, which means knowing the benefits and consequences of each option. I think that the author does a terrific job of breaking down medical language to explain it to people without medical backgrounds. This is no easy feat. I felt like she also gives the pros and the cons of the traditional treatments and then gives alternative suggestions and explains the conditions under which they are good choices and, where appropriate, the conditions under which they are not good choices. With more and more people becoming interested in alternatives to popping pills, I think this book is a great resource. I can think of a bunch of moms right off the top of my head who would appreciate it.

So what didn't I like about it? I had one major concern about the book: how she addresses depression. She does a good job explaining the different types of depression. As with other subjects within the book, she describes how the medications work and also recommends alternative treatments. However, one of the symptoms of depression is that those who suffer from it are often less motivated or willing to reach out for the care that they need. I would worry that someone who really does need a doctor's care might use some of the author's recommendation as a crutch or excuse to delay getting needed assistance. While she does have a warning not to stop taking anti-depressants without a doctor's supervision, it is at least important to ensure that people don't delay having the initial consultation with the doctor.

To be clear, she's by no means anti-medication. While she does spend a good amount of time talking about all the side effects of the Pill, she also mentions that she herself was on it for 20 years. I also liked her explanation of how Plan B works.

Definitely check out her book. Just in case you were wondering, she does recommend chocolate and coffee (and also Vicks cold formula rub to get rid of toenail fungus). If you leave a comment on campaign launch post you'll be entered to win a 50$ gift certificate from CVS.

posted by Alex Elliot @ 10:49 PM 0 comments

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Name:	Alex Elliot
Home:	MA, United States
About Me:	Professional Mom of two cats, a dog, an ant farm, and oh yeah...two boys: a 4 year old and a 1 year old. Also found in my house is my husband who is known on this blog as The Big Giraffe.
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